For Sonam Brahmbhatt, a first year medical student at Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell University, the biggest merit of the BAPS Women’s Conference was connecting with other women. “It’s nice to know and learn from other women about their goals, the efforts they put to achieve them and the challenges faced along the way,” said Sonal.

The conference, in its 13^th year hosted nearly 3,500 women at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandirs across North America. The event was hosted  in Lowell, MA; Melville, NY; Edison and Robbinsville, NJ; and Beltsville, MD in the northeast. This year’s conference centered on the topic of “Sādhanā: The Purpose and the Pursuit”. Sādhanā means the efforts towards our goals.  Through drawing on our hopes and goals, our purpose and priorities, the conference presented an insightful look at our efforts, its challenges, and how to overcome them through actionable steps.

In an impassioned and heartfelt keynote address, Ms. Aruna Miller, former Maryland Delegate representing District 15 in Montgomery County, paid tribute to the Sadhana of those who sacrificed their personal selves for the benefit of society at large. Through the lens of her family and life experiences, she summarized her Sadhana: “Sadhana is to dedicate our lives to others because in the end, this is what will matter ultimately. What will matter is not what you brought, but what you built; not what you got, but what you gave; not your success, but your significance; not what you learned but what you taught; not your competence, but your character. What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage, and sacrifice that enriched, empowered and encouraged others to emulate your example. Living a life that matters doesn’t happen by accident; it’s not a matter of circumstance but a matter of choice. This is Sadhana.”

Other keynote speakers at the conferences included Anubha Bhatla, Founder of Curiosity Lab, Inc. who encouraged all, “There is no substitute for clarity and focus. Don’t focus on results. Work with all your ability and love.”; Indu Jaiswal, RDN CDN, the current chairperson of Indian American Forum, Inc.; Mrs. Ranjani Saigal, Executive Director, EKAL Vidyalaya Boston; Jigisha Kothari, Joint Secretary for Indian Health Camp of New Jersey and Outreach and Education Coordinator for Early Detection of Breast, Cervical, Colorectal and Prostate Cancers. Jigisha Kothari noted the importance of maintaining constant efforts towards our Sādhanā in all aspects of life.  “As we strive to achieve excellence in our personal Sadhana, it’s important to broaden our perspective, learn from each other and make full use of all the amazing resources we have.”

The opening portion of the conference focused on identifying the hope behind our everyday efforts. Various speakers such as Bianca Patel, a supply chain analyst at Nabisco; Tejal Patel, a Finance Director; and Devanshi Patel, technical consultant at IBM highlighted through their own ambitions and goals, how each strives to achieve them, and the challenges she struggles to overcome.  They shared the role spiritual Sādhanā plays in maintaining the faith, strength, courage and stillness required to get past the frustration, apathy, bitterness, and hopelessness that life’s experiences and challenges bring. 

The second portion of the conference focused on the “how” of practicing personal spiritual Sādhanā.  Many accomplished women such as Bhumi Joshi, JD; Nisha Mehta, a third-grade teacher, and a panel of speakers shared how daily spiritual practices, objective introspection, service to others, and maintaining healthy familial relationships help towards our goal.  They spoke of the importance of honest introspection in allowing us to see past ourselves, understand others, and maintaining perspective through life’s situations.  Dr. Pinki Bhatt shared her personal experience, “spiritual Sadhana provides us life’s ultimate purpose and anchors us to our values.” Through her talk, she simplified the seemingly difficult concept of spiritual Sādhanā into everyday achievable steps.

In addition to accomplished speakers sharing their experiences, prominent female leaders from across the region were also in attendance. Among these notable women was Maryland’s First Lady Yumi Hogan, who emphasized the importance of women coming together as one to teach the coming generations to be strong and successful. “This Women’s History Month, we should all strive to recognize the invaluable contributions women have made throughout our history. At the same time, we must do everything we can to encourage even more women, especially young ladies, to succeed.”

Dr. Vanila Singh, chief medical officer for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Serives shared her experience of raising her children to be grounded in Indian culture and traditions, and how this helps them to create and follow their own Sadhana.

The various speakers provided a wake-up call for Juhi Patel: “Having that realization that the stories that you hear are real, its kind of a jump-start to the heart and to the head to kind of remind myself of the importance of daily spiritual practices towards my own goal.”

“I am so proud, I am so happy to see the young women organize such a wonderful conference. I look forward to applying some of the principles discussed today in my day to day life," said Trupti Shah, a participant at the conference.

The BAPS Women’s Conference was inspired by His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj and encouraged by His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj, the current spiritual leader of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha. The conference highlights the influential role of women in today’s society and also empowers the younger generations by promoting a healthy dialogue around current topics. Before and after the conference, attendees had the opportunity to network with others from the greater community and share their perspective on the talks of the day. Many in attendance felt inspired by the conference and conveyed their motivation to share the word with their family and friends. 

More details at https://www.baps.org/News/2019/BAPSWC19-15190.aspx

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About BAPS

The BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) is a worldwide spiritual and humanitarian organization that is dedicated to community service, peace, and harmony. Motivated by Hindu principles, BAPS strives to care for the world by caring for societies, families, and individuals. Through various spiritual and humanitarian activities, BAPS endeavors to develop better citizens of tomorrow with high esteem for their roots and culture. Its 3,300 international centers support these character-building activities. Under the guidance and leadership of His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj, BAPS aspires to build a community that is free of addictions as well as morally, ethically and spiritually pure. For more details, please visit www.baps.org.

About Mahant Swami Maharaj

His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj is the sixth and current spiritual successor of Bhagwan Swaminarayan. He was ordained a swami by Yogiji Maharaj in 1961 and named Sadhu Keshavjivandas. As he was appointed the head (Mahant) of the Mandir in Mumbai, he became known as Mahant Swami. His devout, humble and service-focused life earned him the innermost blessings of Yogiji Maharaj and Pramukh Swami Maharaj. Mahant Swami Maharaj travels throughout the world inspiring people through his insightful spiritual discourses and disciplined conduct. His virtuous lifestyle and profound devotion to Bhagwan Swaminarayan and gurus are ideals toward which devotees strive. Mahant Swami Maharaj became the guru and President of BAPS upon Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s passing in 2016.

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